1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to buoyant devices for supporting otherwise unstable objects, and more specifically, to a buoyant apparatus for attachment to beverage insulators operable for holding beverage containers wherein the center of gravity of the combined assembly and beverage container inhibits tipping and/or spilling of the contents of the beverage container in moderately rough aquatic action.
2. Description of the Related Art
Persons who enjoy recreational water activities, such as swimming, floating and fishing, frequently desire access to beverages while in the water. However, during such recreational activities, it is typically undesirable to continuously hold a beverage container because the use of both hands may be necessary to fully enjoy the recreational activity.
To address this problem, a variety of conventional floating beverage holders have been developed which can support one or more beverage containers on the surface of the water. Existing floating beverage holders, however, present a number of drawbacks. For example, most conventional floating beverage holders will not accommodate beverage containers of various sizes (i.e., having varying outside diameters). This is particularly disadvantageous when a person desires to use a beverage insulator to keep their beverage hot or cold. Because the thickness of conventional beverage insulators can vary greatly depending on their specific material of construction, insulated beverage containers will frequently not be suitable for use with conventional floating beverage holders.
A further disadvantage of existing floating beverage holders is their size. The bulkiness of these conventional devices makes it undesirable and/or impractical to pack, transport, and store these devices. Indeed, many of these devices maintain their buoyant properties via a donut shape or a flat displacement across the surface of water. This disadvantage is especially pronounced when persons enjoy recreational water activities at locations requiring substantial travel. When packing a limited amount of supplies to travel to a remote recreation location, including a bulky conventional floating beverage holder may simply be impractical.
A still further disadvantage of conventional floating beverage holders is the fact that the beverage container must be removed and reinserted into the holder every time the user takes a drink. This removal/reinsertion action can be difficult in the water, and often requires the use of two hands to grasp both the holder and the beverage container. The use of two hands to remove and reinsert the beverage into the holder can make the use of conventional floating beverage holders impractical, especially when enjoying recreational activities requiring the use of two hands.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,493 entitled Floatable Beverage Holder to Powell et al. teaches of a buoy which is suitable for supporting various sizes of beverage containers and allows the center of gravity of the combined buoy and container to be readily adjusted in order to restrain tipping. Powell et al fails to teach of a device that can comfortably be used while drinking from the beverage container. Indeed, a user must remove the beverage container prior to drinking.
An additional disadvantage of conventional floating beverage holders is that they tend to float away from the individual, thus making it necessary for the individual to relocate towards the beverage holder in order to take a drink of the beverage.
A still further disadvantage of conventional floating beverage holders is the fact that the beverage container must be removed for the holder to sit safely on an edge of a pool, boat railing, or table edge when the user so desires. For example, the user would like to change an empty beverage container for a full beverage container.
Thus, it is apparent that there is, therefore, a need in the art for a buoyant apparatus for attachment to and/or removal from a beverage insulator operable for receiving beverage containers which possesses sufficiently buoyant characteristics such that it will float while supporting a full beverage container with sufficient stability such that the container will not tip or spill its contents against moderately rough waves. There is a further need in the art for a a buoyant apparatus for attachment to and/or removal from a beverage insulator operable for receiving beverage containers, said apparatus having an offset characteristic with a center of gravity such that the buoyant apparatus and a full beverage container can safely sit on the edge of any rigid object if the user so desires.